


Just a Little Research

by nullberry



Series: Linked Universe [7]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: But it's not nice either, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, I hurt some good good bois, Implied/Referenced Torture, Please Be careful, Psychological Torture, Science Experiments, Torture, it's nothing too graphic, look - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:35:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22856344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nullberry/pseuds/nullberry
Summary: They all fell to the bottom of the glass. Green unwillingly landed on his feet, crumpling with a yelp as his ankle flared up with pain. Red tumbled right in front of him, wheezing as he landed on his back, his face scrunching in response to the unwelcome sensation. Vio struggled to position himself to cushion Blue, his arm hitting the glass right before Blue landed on it. Nonetheless, there was a resonating ting as the back of Blue's head smashed into the glass--and he stayed where he had landed.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule (Linked Universe), Four & Legend (Linked Universe), Red & Blue & Green & Vio, Time & Twilight (Linked Universe)
Series: Linked Universe [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1478894
Comments: 47
Kudos: 193





	1. Chapter 1

Four felt the ground underneath him.

_Why was he lying down? When did he fall asleep?_

He attempted to open his eyes, only to be greeted by a splitting headache; he was suddenly acutely aware of how heavy his body felt.

And it _hurt._

He let out a small groan, attempting to move his arms up to hold his head, but staying still at the shot of pain that ran through them.

_Din's fire that hurt._

He heard some shuffling around him in response to the noise he had made, and he once again tried to open his eyes--but the light only made his head pound harder. He winced, and felt a hand land lightly on his arm.

"Four? You stay still, you took quite the hit." He couldn't quite tell who had said that. Or what had been said. It took a few seconds to--

_Shoot._

"Wha--" he winced at the sound of his voice: his throat felt so dry. "Hit?"

"We're going to sit you up so you can drink some water, okay?" _Oh goddesses please no._

He felt a few hands wiggle their way under his back, slowly pushing him up to sit. A few even twitched in response to his hiss at the pain the motion sent flying through his body. But he was sitting, and all of the hands left except for one pair, helping to hold him up.

"We healed you up as best we could with our supplies, but it was… not great. You took a big hit from that lynel. You're still bruised up pretty bad, 'fraid there's nothing we can do about that." As this person explained what had happened (Four was pretty sure that was Twilight's accent, it stood out from the others') someone placed a waterskin to Four's lips and tipped it a moment later. Four drained the skin, letting out a relieved breath once it was taken away.

"Can you open your eyes?" 

"Been trying. Light hurts." Could he have put more effort into his sentences? Yes. Was he going to? No. He wanted to make good use of what little energy he had.

"We can stay here for a little while," _\--Hyrule?--_ "but it doesn't seem like the best spot to make camp…”

\---------------------------------------

As it turned out, they did in fact stay in that area for a long time. And Four was just about ready to rage.

He wasn't allowed to do the most basic activities by himself. He was always resting, he was always lying down, he _couldn't do anything._

That being said, he _literally_ couldn't do anything--each time he tried doing something with even a slight physical challenge, his head starting pounding and his vision would begin to darken.

Clearly he was doomed to on-the-road bed rest for the rest of his life; the worst kind of bed rest. He didn't even get the bed part of it. Just boring, boring rest.

_This is stupid. This is ridiculous, I'm fine, I just have to-_

Fed up with the pointless irritation eating away at his sanity, Four opened his eyes, ignoring the headache he could already feel beginning to form. He pushed himself up with a grunt, and scowled as he spotted Legend already marching towards him.

"What do you think you're doing?" The question was simple, no malintent behind it--only concern, Four knew. But he couldn't quite bring himself to care. He needed to get away and do something-- _anything._

"I'm going to pee! What do you want, to escort me?" He waved off Legend's hand as he pushed himself up to his feet, knowing full-well that he was projecting his irritation onto Legend, and yet not being able to care. _He was fine. No one needed to be worried._

"Yeesh Four, I get it. Just don't go far." Legend was clearly still worried, but Four ignored it. He needed a moment.

“ _Thank you._ ”

Four slowly made his way away from the camp, too conscious of the others watching him. _He wasn’t some child, he didn’t need their supervision._

_Geez, Blue's really coming out right now_ , he thought, bringing a hand to rub at his pounding head.

_Shut up_ , he thought back--maybe he needed to split, they had been Four for a while.

And maybe, _just maybe_ , it would get rid of his concussion. A long shot, but still worth a shot.

He grabbed his sword, a silly grin on his face as a flash of white light spread throughout his body. As it dispersed, it left four bodies in its wake: some looking more excited than others.

"My head is _killing_ me! Why the hell did I take the worst of the concussion!?" Vio chuckled at Blue's immediate outburst, but brought a hand to his forehead with a pained look a moment later.

"Ah, I think I get to deal with the rest of it. How are you two feeling?" He turned to Green who simply shrugged, too busy smiling at Red as he attempted to hug Blue back to health.

"Get off of me you--"

" _Shh… I have you, it's alright Blue. Your eyes are watering, you need to relax._ "

" _Screw off!_ "

Green gently placed an arm around Vio's shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze as they chuckled at the exchange.

"How much longer do you think this will last Vio?" Green looked up at him, hopeful for some good news--but Vio merely shook his head.

"Blue's constant irritation isn't exactly helping us rest, and your need to get up and _do_ stuff has been getting in the way of our recovery too." He sent a pointed look down at Green, who smiled bashfully in response.

"Well gee Vio, it's not like we can help it."

" _I know._ "

The two smiled, thankful for the moment of peace and privacy--until they were interrupted by a loud string of curses. They looked back to the others to see Red sitting on the ground, arms hooked around Blue's torso as he sat in Red's lap. Red was slowly rocking them, humming a simple melody as Blue grumbled to himself with a scowl--yet he didn't make any moves to detach Red from himself.

"Awww." Vio laughed at Green's cooing, shaking his head at the nonsense. He stiffened a moment later however, feeling Green's head come to rest on his shoulder.

"I've missed you guys," he muttered, his cheeks and ears turning a light shade of pink. Vio scoffed.

"You've been closer to us than any of the others. We share a brain, Green."

"It's different Vio, don't pretend it isn't."

" _...I know._ "

They watched Blue relax into Red's hold for a few more moments (though his scowl never left his face), before Green snatched Vio's hand and pulled him towards the two.

"Green, what are you--"

They reached the pair and Green plopped down beside Red, Vio getting dragged down with him. He flailed on the way down, landing on Blue with a small ' _oof_ ' as Blue yelped in surprise.

"What the hell guys." Red shushed Blue again, bringing a hand up to play with his hair. Vio resituated himself, knowing better than to try and avoid the cuddle pile--that would needlessly complicate things--and also, _maybe he liked it just a little bit._

The group relaxed, happy to be in each other's company.

\-----------------------------------------

They woke with a start, the world looking around them looking blurry.

Were they _that_ relaxed, that they'd fallen asleep?

Blue immediately shot up, only to stumble as the pain in his head flared up. He cursed and took a knee to steady himself, as Vio moved to his side, placing a hand on his back.

Red grabbed Green's hand, squinting at the blurriness around them. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, when Green tugged him forward, his own free hand out.

It came into contact with what felt like cold glass.

He paled.

He glanced around: all around their small group was blurry, even when he looked up. He looked to Vio, who was rubbing Blue's back and squinting at the walls himself.

Green let go of Red’s hand to press against the glass, his face smooshing as he struggled to see through it. _What was going on?_

A shadow suddenly passed over the glass, causing Green to jump back. He reached for his sword only to find it wasn't on him. _He had had it before, where…?_

There were loud, muffled voices from outside the glass, and Green looked to Vio once more. This time, Vio had a bit more confidence in his gaze.

"Kids. We're under their bottle. They'll probably try to show us to their parents, and they'll be told to put us--" he was cut off as the glass shifted, a hand forcing itself under their feet, keeping them trapped. Green and Red tumbled onto the soft surface, reaching for each other for balance.

They felt themself being lifted and stayed on sitting on the palm, not wanting to fall from the movement--until their world suddenly flipped.

They all fell to the bottom of the glass. Green unwillingly landed on his feet, crumpling with a yelp as his ankle flared up with pain. Red tumbled right in front of him, wheezing as he landed on his back, his face scrunching in response to the unwelcome sensation. Vio struggled to position himself to cushion Blue, his arm hitting the glass right before Blue landed on it. Nonetheless, there was a resonating ting as the back of Blue's head smashed into the glass--and he stayed where he had landed.

Vio pulled his arm out from under him and immediately grabbed one of Blue's shoulders, ignoring his own pain as he supported Blue's head with the other. In a moment Green and Red were surrounding their fallen part, and they carefully held onto him as Vio moved his hair. There was no visible blood, which almost made him more scared--it would be no comfort if he was bleeding internally, and after a hit like that his head would be bruised and swollen--

Green practically shoved Vio away so that he could hold Blue's head in his own lap, being careful not to let it be jostled by these children and their dumb game. Had all the counterparts been uninjured they could have made a totem pole and climbed out of the bottle, but like this…

They would have to wait and see.

In the meantime, Green carefully watched Blue, a hand placed on his cheek, his thumb tracing it over and over. He knew in the end he couldn't offer any comfort, but at the very least, it busied him.

"That… he's gonna be so ticked off when he realizes we'll be out for even longer," Red mumbled, letting out a breathy chuckle. He didn't dare think of what specific effects this might have on them once they merged again, instead moving over to Vio to poke at the boy's arm. He left satisfied when Vio winced but waved him off.

Rule number one of being one person: do _not_ hide injuries.

He left Green alone, despite his _almost_ impossibly persistent need to check on him. Right now all they could do was wait--with no tools, no weapons, and one part completely out of commission, there was simply no solution that would get them all out.

Red looked up, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth snarling in a rare expression of anger--it only lasted a moment however, as he realized there was no cork on the bottle.

He could see straight up, and there was in fact a hylian. A young hylian, even. But not one any younger than him. Not one who was naive enough to try to show picori to their parents.

This had to be a hylian who knew what they were doing.

He blinked, and suddenly there were large eyes looking back at him. He let the anger return to his face, standing up on shaky legs and holding up a fist at the person.

It took all of his willpower not to scream profanities at them, if only for Blue’s sake. The hylian simply laughed, before turning his attention away.

“It’s been too long since I’ve seen a picori, but they’re not usually aggressive, right? These guys had swords on them, it’s actually a bit adorable. But they don’t normally look like this…” The sentence trailed off as they pondered it, and Red couldn’t help but wish he _was_ a minish. This was definitely not a good child-- _no wonder it had been ‘too long’ since he’d seen one._

The bottle was quickly lifted up, causing Red to fall back onto his butt.

“Either these are a new type of picori, or they evolve really quickly.”

Their face was morphed through the glass, and as angry as Red was, he couldn’t help the terror that seized him as he stared at twisted peering eyes in front of him.

“I can’t wait to figure out what these guys are. Hopefully they last longer than the other picori.”

The bottle suddenly dropped; they went through some sort of door, and were suddenly in darkness, a loud shuffling noise resounding around them as the bottle shifted with its container.

_A pocket._


	2. Chapter 2

Legend was bouncing his foot.

He was either angry or anxious, and Twi couldn’t help but think he knew why.  _ Four had been out for quite a while now. And Legend had enabled him, the idiot. _

Twilight’s ear twitched, and he turned to look around the camp--it seemed everyone shared in the anxious feeling. The atmosphere was quickly growing heavy, and it was no surprise when Time ordered everyone to split up and search only a few moments later.

They all partnered up, Twilight making sure to stick with Time. They waited until everyone else had set out, and Time nodded--clearly he'd shared Twilight’s train of thought.

Twilight tuned into the crystal around his neck, feeling the twili magic spread throughout his body. His vision pulsed in response to the pain that ran through him, and the next moment his eyes opened, a much sharper image of his surroundings coming into view. He turned his head to Time and shook his head, before padding to Four's belongings and taking a deep breath…

_ There. _

His ears perked up as he turned his head to the direction the scent continued in. He glanced at Time, giving a small huff before following the scent at a brisk pace.

The scent went not too far into the forest before leading to a tree stump--Twilight tilted his head slightly to the side as he considered it. It looked very similar to the one he had first seen tiny Four on.

Twilight couldn't help the anxiety that stuck itself in his throat, and he unintentionally let out a small whimper. He felt Time's hand land lightly on his head as he sniffed the area around the stump.

If Four was picori-sized, he would be harder to find. But he wouldn't have purposefully left for so long--he knew better than to worry the group this way. He was capable, but he was hurt… he would be an easy target for anything that might notice--

_ There. _

The tiniest sword, lying by itself on the ground. Four's scent lead nowhere other than this stump--Twilight whimpered again, shaking Time off of him as he took a moment to calm himself.

Okay. He had been looking for Four. Now he had to look for whatever had taken Four. He took a breath, an array of scents filling his nose--and he quickly zeroed in on the one that stood out. Not belonging entirely to nature, and yet alive.

Hylian.

And going east.

\-----------------------------

They didn’t know how long they had been in the hylian’s pocket.

Red had crawled back over to the group, carefully searching for them in the dark. Once his hand hit Vio’s side, he let out a shaky breath of relief. He tapped Vio twice, and his hand was quickly held tight within his brother's.

Slowly their eyes began to adjust, and Red quickly removed his hand when he was able to see Vio grimacing at the noise the bottle produced. He held Vio to keep him steady as the other covered his ears with his hands, eyes scrunched in concentration.

Green’s hands were loosely over Blue’s ears but it did little to ease the worry that Blue’s condition placed on their chests. He hadn’t moved, only making small pained sounds as they went along. It was hard to tell in the dark, but Red was sure Green’s ankle was swollen, and his own back was sore--likely bruising.

_ Great. _

They continued on this way for what seemed like an eternity, until the movement suddenly stopped. Vio hesitantly removed his hands from his ears, only for a bright light to suddenly pierce the darkness, a giant hand roughly grabbing and lifting the bottle. They each let out their own cry of surprise and discomfort at the sudden movement, only to quiet at the resounding  _ clang _ of the bottle landing on a table.

It took them a moment to gather their bearings. Everything was still foggy through the bottle. But upwards was a wooden roof. They were inside a house. The bottle shook slightly as one of the hylians--a boy, it seemed--made their way over to the table, and peaked into the bottle.

“I think the blue one is dead! Either that or close to it--suppose we dissect that one?” They froze. There was a faint ‘ _ Yeah, sure. _ ' from elsewhere in the house, and Green knelt over Blue, his hands clinging to Blue’s arms in the hopes that  _ maybe if they just saw how much he cared, they would understand-- _

“Hey, you don’t think they understand the concept of family do you?” The response was closer now, there was a shadow on the bottle that must’ve been a figure on the other side of the room.

“Don’t be silly, their minds aren’t evolved enough to understand that. Think of it like a dog knows their pups. They forget soon enough, and dogs are constantly separated from their offspring.” The voice was getting louder as the shadow grew bigger, and soon they were standing over the bottle, with what looked like tweezers in their hand.

“If you’re going to feel bad for hurting bugs, go find some other job. I’ll be here, continuing our research.”

The tweezers descended into the bottle and Red jumped up, knocking them away from Green and Blue. The hylian let out a little hum  as the tweezers moved to Vio and he hit them again.

“Fighting like a cornered animal. See? They’re nothing close to human.” Suddenly the tweezers closed in on Red himself, and despite his efforts to dodge away, they clasped onto him, digging into his gut and pressing into his bruising back. He let out a strangled gasp of air as he was lifted out of the bottle, catching a glimpse of his brothers looking up after him.

They didn’t call out.

He was unceremoniously dropped into a small bowl, the sides  _ just _ too steep for him to climb out of. He struggled to scramble up them despite this, sliding painfully back down each time.  _ What was happening? _

_ Okay, calm down. What had he seen? _ Tiny contraptions, tiny tools. Bodies. Picori, strewn about.  _ Pieces _ of picori strewn about. A dozen things he couldn’t make sense of and wanted to remove from his mind.

Books. Books everywhere. Notebooks with half-filled pages, with drawings, with splashes of red ink--Red shut his eyes, hoping for the images to go away.  _ They _ couldn’t even see what they had done anymore. They couldn’t even see the picori.

_ And they thought he was… _

_ Goddesses above, save him. _

He shot up, ignoring the protesting aches his body made, and looked up at the looming giant with wide eyes.

Their eyes were… so soft. Hidden behind large round glasses and light brown bangs. Their light skin was covered in freckles. They looked sweet and kind, and friendly.

Until their lips twisted into a smile, and their eyes were focused on you, and their hand was coming towards you, wrapping around you, lifting you up. Their giant eyes were staring at you, squinting at you, taking in every little detail as you struggle to move, only to have the air squeezed out of your lungs-- _ Hylia please-- _

“They do all look alike, don’t they? I mean, all the picori looked alike, but these guys are so different from the others--suppose they’re a subspecies?” The other hylian simply let out an uninterested grunt in response, and the one holding him huffed.

“Fine then, be like that.” Red focused on the hand holding him, not wanting to look anywhere else out of fear of the images that would worm their way into his memories. “They’re probably evolving to adapt to the weather--it’s been getting colder these last few years, right?” Their partner hummed and his captor smiled. 

“Perfect.”

He was placed down slightly more gently this time, and he immediately took to running up the sides of the bowl again--

Still nothing.

The hylian quickly returned with a jug in their hands, chuckling to themself at the sight of Red’s futile attempts at escape.They tipped the jug, the liquid quickly filling the bowl.

And Red  _ screamed. _

He felt his body swell as the freezing water climbed up to his neck--his skin turned red as his muscles tightened painfully in response to the sudden temperature change. There was ice floating all around him and he couldn’t move between the pain and the sluggish numb feeling moving throughout his body.

The numb was quickly replaced as pain seized him again, his body convulsing in protest.

He was so cold, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe, his skin was on fire, it burned purple and blue, his vision was blacking out-- _ it hurt so much Hylia please-- _

“Experiment one, Red Picori: Resistance to extreme temperatures.”

\--------------------------------------

Green was banging against the glass with all his might, tears streaming down his face.  _ Red I'm sorry I can't get out-- _

Red was screaming. Red was screaming and Green couldn't tell what was happening but  _ he needed to be there now and he needed to save him-- _

Green kicked the glass, falling with a yelp as the pain registered in his bad ankle.  _ Idiot. _ He turned to look at Vio, whose own eyes were shut tight with worry as he held onto a muttering Blue.

Green took a shaky breath, limping over as quickly as he could, trying with all his might to block out Red's shrill screeching-- _ he can't help Red right now. The moment Red is back he will help him. _

If he makes it back.

_ Shut up. _

Green placed his hand on Blue's forehead, wincing at the heat it was met with. Blue was sweating, his face flushed as he continually shifted in his sleep. He was muttering, and Green couldn't help but be glad that Blue was responding to what was going on around him.

He would be more glad if Blue would stop calling out for Red.

He closed his eyes, praying for everything to stop.

_ It'll be done soon, it'll be done soon, it'll be done soon-- _

\--------------------------------------------

_ Goddesses please it was never going to end. _

He couldn't feel anything but painful, burning cold. It was surrounding him, drowning him, infecting every inch of his being,  _ Hylia save him-- _

"Well they're definitely not built for the cold. Look at this thing, hypothermia's already setting in. I think they actually handle it worse than the other picori did." There was a pause that felt as though it lasted for eternity. “Get me some hot water would you?”

Something grabbed him and lifted him from the water a few long, long minutes later--he let himself fall limp as pure exhaustion set in with the lingering pain, his breaths leaving him in short, unhelpful bursts--

And suddenly he was on  _ fire. _

He gasped, only to have his chest wrack with pain--he was drowning _he was burning alive and drowning if anyone can help him_ **_please_** \--

"This thing is pathetic, could you get me a cloth?"

He was lifted from the water and dropped onto the counter, where he stayed, his body tingling and shivering. He coughed up a lungful of water, which quickly turned to painful dry-heaving, his throat burning from the water he had downed and immediately spit back up. He panted, rolling over onto his back and curling in on himself, tears pricking at his eyes.

_ Why? _

He was picked up by something soft and warm, which was quickly wrapped around him.

"It's limp. I didn't kill it already did I?"

"No look, he's snuggling into the cloth. Put a candle by the bottle, he needs the warmth."

\-----------------------------

Vio nearly cried when he saw the thick cloth being lowered into the bottle.

He ran over, trusting Green to tend to Blue as the cloth was left on the bottom. He grabbed it, testing out the feel between his fingers.

_ Flannel. Heavy, warm, soft. _

He unwrapped it slightly, eyebrows furrowing at the sight of his blue-skinned, still brother. A lump formed in his throat and he immediately choked it back.  _ Getting emotional would not help. Think logically. _

He grabbed an edge of the cloth with both hands, his injured arm throbbing at the effort.  _ As if he gives a damn about his arm. _ He began pulling it towards Blue and Green, the flannel adding a surprising amount of weight to his usually light brother.

He set the blanket down next to Blue, unwrapping it only to Red's side. He nodded to Green who smiled tightly in response, and the two positioned themselves. In sync, they carefully lifted Blue next Red, tucking one edge of the blanket around Red and bunching the rest under Blue as a pillow. Green rested a hand against Red’s forehead, wincing at the ice-cold feeling of it.

“Grrrn… Mm tired…” Red took a shaky breath--he had been hyperventilating, and Green couldn’t tell if it was comforting or not that his breathing had slowed down.

“Nn… cold-d. Her... hurts.”

“I know buddy… Stay awake for me would ya? Blue needs you here to get better.” Green carefully shifted the blanket to place two fingers on Red’s neck…  _ Too slow for his liking. _

“Mm… Tryn…”

A too-bright light came to life on one side of the bottle, but with it came a pleasant heat, and Vio sighed, letting the sensation warm his face.

A second later, his face was covered in something gooey, and he was on the ground from the impact.

“What… the hell…?” He could hear Green suppressing chuckles--there was some sort of red blindfold on him. A moment later, it was off with a gross  _ schlorp _ sound.  _ A raspberry? _

“Sorry little guys, Vin can get a bit… rough during experiments. We’re not looking to kill you.” They looked up to see eyes glancing into the bottle, crinkling a little bit as if the hylian were smiling. “That should tie you over, right?” There was laughter from another room, and a faint call of, “ _ You know they can’t understand you, right? _ ”

The hylian above them grumbled to themself for a moment, before looking back to the four. “I’m really sorry guys, we do what we have to.”

Vio flipped him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update for Silverdragonms from the LU Discord!!!
> 
> I was going to wait until next week to post this, but they made a comment on this story that made me really happy lmao
> 
> <3 It means a lot friend! Thanks!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trigger warning is a slight spoiler for the chapter, but it's here--if you're confident to not look at it and don't want it spoiled, look right past my dudes--but be safe!!!  
> TW: Implied Dissection??? Panic Attack, and relatively minor injuries

_ They yell so loudly. _

The four winced, Green and Vio holding onto their brothers worriedly as the two hylians argued. Vio possibly should have expected this, given their different interactions with the two, but now all he could do was watch in suspense as they fought.

" _ He flipped me off! _ That is a clear indication of knowledge not only of communication, but of  _ our _ communication! They're practically human, we can't keep hurting them!"

" _ You're imagining things! _ They are bugs, insects, mindless creatures--they are  _ nothing _ like us! Your logic is just clouded because you never let go of those dumb legends we were told as kids!" The boy went to protest, but this one--Vin--continued. "The picori aren't some tiny human race, that doesn't make sense! You need to grow up! This is exactly why the lab was always going to be mine to inherit." They muttered the end of their sentence, crossing their arms in the face of their fuming brother.

"Mom and dad would  _ never _ have left it to you if they knew you would go so far--"

"Then get out."

The boy blinked. "Excuse me?"

" _ Get out. _ This is my research. I don't need your assistance anymore. You can leave."

Their brother stared at them for a moment, mouth agape, before firmly shutting it and glaring at them. "Some family you are."

And to Vio's relief, he turned to the table, grabbing the bottle Four had been trapped in, and began to walk out.

"You can't--"

" _ Watch me. _ "

For a moment they were calm. Ecstatic.  _ They were free. _

And the next moment, they were free-falling--glass shattered, pain hit them and darkness followed soon after.

\---------------------------

_ Was Green awake? _

He couldn't tell. He swore his eyes were open, and yet he saw nothing. He imagined a familiar voice saying, ' _ Watch your step! Don’t want you to trip over anything... _ ' and chuckled.

His chest ached in response to the effort.

_ What… had happened? Where was he? _

…

**_Where were the others?_ **

"Vio?" His voice cracked and he cringed. Why was he so tired and sore?

"Red?" Nothing.

"Blue?"  **_Nothing._ **

_ Where are they where are they where are they _

He stood, hissing at the ache in his body, and slowly reached his arms out in front of him. He quickly walked forward, his ankle throbbing in pain as he forced it to carry his weight--and he met a wall.

Some sort of light wood, it felt like. He knocked--it sounded that way too.

_ So he was in a box. _

_ Crap. _

He blinked, struggling to force his eyes to adjust-- _ was that a bit of light coming from one edge? _ He didn't know.

It was so silent. It was so dark. He was alone. He was absolutely alone. His brothers were alone. With that hylian. With that  _ monster. _

_ They were alone, defenseless, with that monster, separated from each other, vulnerable--he had to get out. Now. _

He backed up, tears pricking at his eyes as the pain in his ankle increased, and he ran at the wall. With all his might he hit it, the box giving a promising shift--for a moment, light  _ definitely did _ shine in through the bottom.

_ He can do this. _

He backed up, repeating the process.  _ Did he hear something? No. _ His ankle was getting worse. The box shifted again, and his hope lifted.  _ If he just gets it far enough, it will either fall or he'll slip underneath-- _

He backed up again, ran at it, prepared himself for impact--only to be sent tumbling, his legs giving out as the box moved on its own.

He was blinded for a moment, and panicked when he felt something close around his body, pinning him and lifting him up.

He forced his eyes open, freezing when he saw the face of… Vin? Yes, Vin. Soft eyes glaring down at him, only for their lips to twitch upwards.

"You things are such an aggressive variant--just going to what, keep smashing against the box until you died?"  _ Where was the other hylian please where in the world did he go-- _

Vin sighed, Green flinching at the warm air that hit his face-- _ have they been drinking coffee? Ew. _

The pair began moving across the room, the movement shocking Green back into his body. He finally shifted, taking his chance to search for the others.

His eyes widened as he took in the sights around him, his breathing speeding up.

_Why was there so much blood, so much destruction--how could this person not understand? This is evil, this is so evil_ **_how do they not see--_**

His world was flying around, almost making him sick, and suddenly he was in front of the hylian again.

"Experiment two, Green Picori: Familial recognition and reaction." Green saw Vin roll their eyes at the idea, but his chest warmed-- _ they were just going to let him see the others? Just watch them interact? They would see that-- _

He was dropped into a small rectangular container, and he crumpled as he hit the ground once more. He bit his tongue,  _ hard, _ to hold back his scream as tears forced their way out of his eyes. He kept his breathing even, refusing to let himself panic.

_ Definitely broken, dammit. _

_ Okay. Less than ideal, broken ankle, sore body, stuck in a box with someone--but at least we're together. At least we're together, it's fine. _

He looked out of his cage, hoping to catch sight of his brothers.

He caught sight of one. Blue. Unconscious still.

And pinned down to a small board.

_ no no no no nO NO NO NO NONONONONONONO _

He watched as Vin repositioned Blue to be easily accessible to themself without blocking Green's view.

And he  _ hated  _ them.

_ Help us helps us help us please  _ **_please_ **

Vin walked away, and Green crawled to the edge of his box, hot, fat tears streaming down his face as he hit the glass, over and over and over _ \--his knuckles were bleeding. Doesn't matter, he  _ **_needs_ ** _ to get to Blue he needs  _ **_out._ **

Vin came back, two notebooks and a tray in their hands, the contents of the tray just out of sight for Green.

_ Hylia I beg of you. We've done so much,  _ **_please, just this one thing--_ **

There was a clatter as the tray was placed down, and Green clenched his eyes tight.

_ I don't want to see it I don't-- _

He forced himself to open his eyes. Whether he wanted to or not, he needed to see.

Vin was looking at him, a puzzled expression on their face.

There was blood on the glass. He smeared it to the side, looking through the red and his tears to the tray that had been placed.

Tools. Fine. He had seen it.

He closed his eyes again, leaning onto the glass with his arms wrapped around himself, hugging him tight.

_ Maybe if he hugged himself tight enough, Blue would wake up. They're the same person after all. _

He sat there crying, so close but alone.

And then there was shuffling, and Vin was writing in the notebook.

"Familial recognition: Green Picori visibly upset, likely due to injury. Experiment to be redone at a later date."

Green shook his head. _ Not again, please never again. _

There was a clatter and Green's eyes shot open, focusing in on the tool in Vin's hand. It was blurred, his vision was so blurred,  _ was he hyperventilating?  _ It was sharp. He could tell it was sharp- _ -what are they doing please stop _

_ He watched the hand descend upon his brother, the tool getting closer and closer, his vision getting blurrier-- _

Slice.

_ No. _

Slice.

_ Stop. _

Slice.

_ I beg of you Hylia  _ **_please_ **

Vin was neat, precise. They clearly knew what they were doing and Green sobbed, smashing his hands against the glass once more.

_ Please make it stop make it stop Blue I'm sorry I'm so sorry please Blue just hold on I'm sorry I can't I can't I'm  _ **_trying_ **

There was so much blood. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't understand, this was not supposed to happen, this was not right,  _ why was it Blue why couldn't it have been him-- _

It seemed to go on for hours. Vin muttering to themself, slicing, writing. Blue, still, cut up, hung by his arms on that horrid board.

_ Finally  _ it stopped. There was a rough bandaging job. A light, maybe a fairy? He couldn't tell. Pain flashed through his mind as he was lifted, and he simply went limp, no energy left to fight or stay alert.

He just wanted it to be over.

He was placed in a larger container, a sort of tank with sticks and leaves, a couple of berries.

He paid them no mind, Blue was lowered into the tank and laid carefully on the ground. Green dragged himself over, ignoring the black dots appearing in his vision to check Blue's pulse.

_ Barely. Barely. _

He smiled, letting out a shaky breath as the black finally overtook his vision.

\-----------------------

Vio continued to hold Red close, carefully running his hands through his brother's hair to distract himself from his throbbing head.

_ It wasn't working. _

He grimaced at a bad spike of pain, his hand accidentally pulling Red's hair and making the delirious boy wince.

_ Sorry Red. _

They had been this way for so long. Just waiting. Red kept muttering about the cold, though he felt feverishly hot. He had called Vio Blue a few times, muttering about his safety and how happy it made him.

_ Vio decided to block Red's mumbling out. _

His head ached, but he listened for anything other than Red.

And he heard footsteps.

The tank shuffled slightly and he carefully placed Red's head on the ground, ignoring the boy's quiet, worried protests. He moved through the tank, carefully stepping over the branches and leaves…

Until he saw Green falling unconscious onto Blue.

He ran over, eyebrows furrowing at the sight. Blue  _ seemed _ mostly unharmed, though he was concerningly pale. Somehow, he seemed better than he had before. Green on the other hand, had blood all over his knuckles, which were resting at slightly awkward angles. A thick stream of blood was dripping from his mouth-- _ What had happened to him? _

_ Well. At least we're all here. _

He quickly made his way back to Red's side, draping the boy’s arms around his neck and picking him up, despite the tired mutterings and his own body’s complaints.

“Where…?” The boy went limp in Vio’s arms, and he grunted, his feet stumbling for a moment.

“Just trust me. I know where Blue and Green are.”

  
  


“Buh… yer right her…?”

_ Dammit Red. _

He stumbled his way to the others, placing Red next to them as gently as possible once arriving. Red still gave a small ‘oof’ as he landed, but Vio was content enough.  _ They were all here. _

He looked up, biting into his cheek as he considered their vulnerability. The others likely wouldn’t wake up if one of them were taken, even with all of them remaining in contact. He was the only one who hadn’t been taken yet, so if the hylian wished to experiment he would likely be next.

_ He could handle that. _

He searched through their tank for leaves he could take without making anything look out of place. Slowly he began covering his brothers, blending them in with their surroundings to the best of his ability. He could feel his own fatigue catching up to him, and his feet stumbled again.

He had to add more camouflage to his brothers, he had to protect them.

_ But a nap couldn’t hurt, right? _

The floor was coming up towards him.

Everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three! I'm trying to figure it out, this will likely be about five or six chapters in total!  
> Not super long, but I think it'll be better that way.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Any feedback is welcome and appreciated! Love y'all <3


	4. Chapter 4

Something grabbed him.

He jolted, his senses overwhelming him and yet not giving him enough information-- _why was he so groggy?_

He gave a weak push at the hand around him, his sight too blurry to make out the face belonging to it.

_Where was he?_

He could feel his breath quicken--there was yelling, _what was being said?_ His sight went dark, but he was clearly still conscious-- _what was happening?_ Light flashed in his vision for a moment, and suddenly there were several heavy things laying on top of him, placed down surprisingly gently.

And then his world was being thrown around.

He couldn't breathe with the weights on his chest. What was holding him down--what was happening, where was he who has him what's happening _why are his senses not giving him anything to work with come on--_

"Ffffio?" That voice. That voice was closer. Gentler. More familiar than the others.

"Ff… Vio, calm… calm down, we neee--we need you right nnow." The voice was slurred. _Why was this voice slurred?_

_Oh. They need me._

Something grabbed his hand, and he felt it squeeze. He squeezed the hand back, and timed his breaths with their responses.

He was still groggy.

"Vio, what's happening? I can't… I can't see for some reason." 

"It's dark in here Blue."

_...Blue?_

Vio forced his eyes open-- _when had he closed them?_ \--and looked around. Everything was blurred and the light was dim. But those figures were his. His other parts. They were here with him; together.

Going… somewhere.

He dragged himself to the others, carefully wrapping his arms around them. He felt someone wince under his touch, but he didn't move. He would not be separated from them.

"I can't see very well either Blue, everything's… blurry."

"Vio… I can't see right now. At all." Vio kept his arms around them, his teeth grinding together as he tried to process the statement. _Why wouldn't Blue be able to see?_

"Does _anyone_ know what's happening, or who's got us?"

There were a few beats of silence. Vio could _feel_ the nervousness in his brothers as they awaited a response no one could give.

Vio groaned, breaking the tense silence. "I _hate_ not knowing, we're probably getting kidnapped by another weird scientist." It fell silent once more, and they waited in each other's presence.

"Who's sleeping?"

"That's Red."

"Who's sniffling?"

" _Not me._ " Green and Blue had spoken in unison, and Vio sighed.

"Great. So we wait."

\-----------------------------------------

He's not sure when they fell asleep, but Red was the first to wake up from the small pile of boys. He carefully moved to rub the bleariness from his eyes, trying not to disturb his brothers.

He felt warm. And soft.

He looked down, blinking in confusion at the warm material surrounding them. _Had that all been a dream?_

As he tried to get up, stumbling instead, he knew it had to have been real. _His body was so tired, everything was heavy and sore._

_...Though he may just be tired..._

Still, he removed himself from the pile, looking around cautiously.

_Were they at camp?_

...

**_Were they at camp!?_ **

He winced as he heard stomping nearby, and he quickly moved the material to cover him and his brothers, just barely peaking over the edge of it to see who it was.

_What if this is another experiment of some sort?_

…

_The blanket is so warm…_

He shook his head, trying to keep himself awake. Someone made their way into the clearing, and he squinted at them, a lazy smile spreading across his face as Hyrule's features came into focus, practically marching in their direction.

He pushed the blanket back off of himself, sitting on top of it expectantly.

His smile quickly fell into a look of confusion however, as Hyrule's hand glowed with a subtle pink light-- _what was he casting?_ \--and he vanished. Red blinked, looking around in confusion, only to finally focus on a fairy making her way towards him.

_His_ way towards him, apparently. He rubbed his eyes as Hyrule drifted closer-- _maybe he's just delirious._

Still, seeing his friend brought a smile to his face, wings or not, and he reached up to simply take Hyrule's hand when the boy landed next to him.

Hyrule made a face, but let him, crouching down to meet his eyes.

"Four--"

"Red, actually."

Hyrule made another face.

"I'm too tired to explain..." Red whined, tightening his hold on Hyrule's hand and glancing back behind him to his brothers.

"Can you heal while you're a fairy?"

Hyrule winced, bringing his free hand to scratch at the back of his neck. "Ah, no. This is a spell, I'm not sure I could pull off casting another at the same time--especially while small, my body might not be able to handle the magic." Red frowned, his eyebrows furrowing, but he nodded as if he understood.

"That's too bad, I don't know how well they're doing... You make a pretty fairy though."

Hyrule flushed, pressing his free hand against his face. "...Thanks Red."

Red smiled, before once again looking around in confusion.

"What are we lying on?"

"A stump." Hyrule answered. "The ranch hand said you needed to be on a specific type of stump."

_Ah, so it's a gateway. Perfect!_

"That's good. We can get back to normal size--" He glanced back at the sleeping pile of boys, and reconsidered.

"Well," he began, "when they wake up, which isn't looking very promising. Or if we reformed? But we'd probably pass out right away..." He thought for a moment, suddenly turning back to Hyrule, his eyes wide with panic. "Wait! Our swords, we can't reform without them--you have our swords right?"

Hyrule nodded, seemingly struggling to process Red's rambling. Red sighed, letting go of Hyrule's hand-- _his palms were getting a bit clammy, it was gross_ \--and crawling over to his brothers.

"Hyrule, I don't know how well they're doing."

...

" _Please come help me check on them._ You're better at the medical thing."

“Oh. Uh, yeah.”

Hyrule flew over, landing lightly beside Red as he moved the blanket off of his brothers.

Red watched as Hyrule checked them, his hands ghosting over them and poking every few moments. He carefully lifted them a few times, Red wincing at every movement. Hyrule's face was tight with concentration, his lips moving as he thought, though Red couldn't make out the boy's murmuring.

"Well?"

"What happened to you guys?" _Well geez Hyrule, thanks for the reassuring response._ "...And why are there four of you?" _Ignoring that._

"What's wrong with them Hyrule?"

Hyrule looked at Red nervously, hesitantly moving his hand to Vio.

"This one--"

"Vio."

Hyrule's shoulders tensed a bit. "Right. Vio. His right arm is a bit twisted, that we can treat. He has a fever though--do you know what was done to him?"

Red shook his head. "He was having trouble seeing and hearing when he was awake, but he seemed fine. No pain or anything."

Hyrule nodded, seeming to consider some options. "In the house there was a lot of... Weird stuff. He could have been given a number of venoms or... experimental substances? A fever suggests his body is fighting it, but without knowing the specific cause we can't give him anything for it." Hyrule's eyes shone in the light, and Red nodded, blinking his eyes in hopes of keeping them from watering. _Nobody needed to cry, it would simply distract them._

"This guy--" Red opened his mouth to interrupt and Hyrule put up a finger, "Let me guess, Blue?" Red pressed his lips together and nodded. Maybe it was best he didn't try to talk. "It's hard to say. There's a huge bump on the back of his head, but other than that he looks fine."

_Wasn't he the one in the worst condition? He seemed a lot more pale the last time Red had seen him. Of course, Red wasn't sure if he had even been awake--it all felt like a weird nightmare._

"How long have we been out?" Hyrule winced. _Reassuring._

"You really want to know?"

_"My brothers have not woken up. I want to know."_

"Right--sorry, it's been, uh, a few days--three, actually."

Red bit into his cheek, his tears threatening to spill over. _Three days. Only he had woken up._

_Crying would not help._

"How's Green?" His voice cracked, but Hyrule said nothing of it. The boy simply looked concerned as he answered,

"His knuckles are broken. Ankle too."

"Okay. When you go back to your normal size, would you be able to heal someone my size?"

Hyrule considered the question. "I mean… yes, the healing wouldn't be as focused on the injured areas though. It would be spread out evenly--any majour injuries would only be lessened, not taken care of." He paused, looking the boys over once more. "At least... I think. I've never tried."

"What if every injury we have was on Four, while he's as small as us. Could you heal us enough to bring us consciousness?"

"I…" Hyrule looked at the boys, his lips pressed into a tight line. "I can't guarantee that. I could stabilize you, in the least." Red frowned. That wasn't an entire truth. Hyrule was unsure, Red could see it in his posture.

_Good enough for him._

"Could you get our swords please?"

Hyrule looked Red over cautiously, his left hand reaching up to pull nervously at the skin on his jaw. 

"I… what did you want to do with them? You don't look super awake, and they sure aren't--I'm not sure giving you a sword right now is a great idea--"

"Hyrule, _please._ "

Red took a breath, trying with all his might not to let any tears escape his eyes-- _it's not going to help Red, keep it together._

Hyrule stared for a few moments, before glancing around nervously. No one else was in the camp, and they couldn't hear anyone approaching. If a stupid choice was going to be made, now was the time to make it.

Hyrule let out a breath, running a hand down his face before answering, "You better not be about to do something dumb Red." He shook his head in response.

"Do you have a better idea?" Red was not the plan-maker. If Vio was awake, he would come up with a safer option. If Green was awake he would be sure to use the best plan to make everyone better. If Blue was awake--well, maybe Red would be better for this sort of a plan over Blue. But he still wanted Blue to be awake.

Hyrule waited a few moments, seemingly trying to come up with anything else. He looked at Red again, hesitating before flying off of the stump and landing next to it, only to promptly grow to what Red assumed was a million times his size.

In less than a minute Hyrule was gone and back, the Four Swords in his giant palm. He set his hand next to Red, flinching slightly when Red climbed onto it.

"That... that actually tickles a little bit--"

Red smiled, distracted as he tried to hide just how much he was struggling to pick up and carry all four of their weapons. _His arms were… not quite big enough for this. Not to mention how sore and tired he already was--he probably should have asked Hyrule for help._

Nonetheless he carried them, slowly bringing them towards his brothers (and maybe, though he would deny it, coming very close to tripping and hitting everyone). He placed them beside the boys, before carefully giving each their respective blade. He moved their arms to be outstretched _away_ from each other, and carefully placed a sword in their hands.

Finally, he grabbed his, looking to Hyrule determinedly-- _hopefully that hid his nervousness; this was going to_ **_hurt._**

With a smile, he held his sword the the others--a familiar white light enveloped him, and with it came the _excruciating pain_ of his parts--memories flashed, his body was fighting him, struggling to knit together his damaged parts, _he was on fire and freezing and his muscles were tearing and reforming, his bones mending then breaking apart once more--goddesses help him this was so much worse, end this pain_ **_please_** \--

He felt nothing but relief when all feeling left his body, and he was simply floating in a black quiet.

\-----------------

Hyrule couldn't forget that scream.

It could hardly even be called a scream. A screech maybe. A shrill, pained, screeching sound that hardly sounded like Four, coming from what was supposed to be his body, but was simply a struggling glowing mass.

It was worse when the screeching stopped, the glow fading. There was Four--broken, bruised, tiny--helpless and unconscious, hoping that _he_ could heal the tiny body.

_ Hylia help him. _

As soon as he recovered from his shock, he carefully picked the boy up, wrapping his hands around him. He carefully and quietly started muttering, his hands beginning to glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Oh yeah you shouldn't have to wait too long for the next chapter don't worry fam
> 
> Also me: Takes a whole month before posting the next chapter
> 
> So sorry guys! I wanted to finish the chapter after this one before posting, but I am so stuck on the next one. It's half-written and I have a good idea of what I want to do at a certain point but getting there in between is killing me lol
> 
> Here's to hoping I can figure this out my goodness


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would highly recommend reviewing the last bit of chapter 4 before reading this one, because *I missed the end of that chapter when I posted it.*
> 
> I honestly can't believe I just straight up missed it but??? What can you do but update the chapter, right?
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy, the last chapter will be a very short epilogue for fun's sake. ^^  
> Thanks for coming on this really weird, angsty journey with me!

They clutched at each other, trying desperately not to let the hands pry them apart.

They  _ could not  _ be separated.

Red's hold on Vio's arm was starting to slip and he cried out, the other desperately trying to get a better grip on him.

Red screamed as they lost contact, and Vio was pulled away in his moment of distraction, pushing with all his might against the fingers closing around him, fighting the sluggish feeling making its way through his body.

And Green was left alone, uselessly standing over an unconscious Blue and watching as their other half was pulled in two separate directions. Watching as he failed them again, as they screamed and he screamed and he fell crying against Blue, but there was blood and he was  _ covered _ in their blood, choking on it _and_ _ he couldn't breathe Four was dead-- _

The screaming and the blood faded as he choked, his body faintly aching with each convulsion as he turned over and coughed up the liquid filling his throat. He opened an eye to be met with the sight of red, and clenched his eyes shut again, coughing and clawing at his mouth, trying desperately to clear it of their blood.

He felt hands grab at his back and he threw an arm out, successfully making contact with whatever it was. Another hand grabbed at him and his reaction was the same--but his arm was caught this time.

He flailed more violently, putting all of his weight into pulling away from the arm and it  _ hurt _ \--but more hands grabbed him, and soon he was stuck in place, crying, the sound of several different voices shouting out in panic that could have been inside or outside of his head.

He stopped flailing, exhaustion taking over his body as he let himself go limp, quietly sobbing. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there. He wasn’t hurting yet--not any more than a faint ache. He was okay it seemed, apart from the fact that he could hear several different voices in his head--he needed to calm down, he needed to merge just a bit more…

Fighting through his tears, he forced himself to take a single deep breath--several sobs and hiccups interrupted it, but he pushed through, trying to ignore the conflicting memories rushing into his mind. He let it the breath out and began another, trying to focus on what he felt this time.

Something was holding him tight. Something strong, and soft, and something that wasn’t a thousand times his height--it wasn’t hurting him.

He let the breath out.

Breathe in.

There was murmuring around him. Faint murmuring just a ways away, and murmuring coming from whoever was holding him, a soft voice trying to calm him down.

Breathe out.

Two scenes flashed through his mind at once, a blurry image of Vio--or Blue?--the world was turning. And the image of hands checking Blue’s pulse, relief, darkness--

Four blinked his eyes open, not wanting to try and decide whose memories were whose. The light hurt, but he forced his eyes to stay open, trying to blink the blurriness from them. He tried to rub at them, but his arms were pinned to his side, by…

“Sky?”

The other tightened his grip in response, before carefully letting go of Four. He moved himself to the side a bit, but kept one leg pressed lightly against Sky’s, trying to keep grounded.

He rubbed at his eyes again, frowning as the blurriness remained. He could feel his tears with his hands, but _surely_ his sight should have cleared up by now.

“Sky?”

“Yes, Four?”

Four nodded to himself. He was here. He was awake. But what were his memories, and what were nightmares, and _ what was real? _ He couldn’t decide by himself, especially not right at this moment.

“What’s happening?”

Sky didn’t respond right away, and Four hated not being able to make out the details of his face. His expression was morphed, and Four couldn’t read it at all. 

“We were giving you another healing potion when you choked. This is the second time you’ve woken up since we found you.” Four could hear the concern in Sky’s voice, and he frowned.  _ So… some of what was in his head was definitely real. _

“When did you find me?”

“A week ago, give or take. Hyrule was talking to you. You… well there were four of you, and he said you guys just turned into one?" He hesitated. "‘Red’ was the only one awake--he talked to Hyrule.” He paused again, and Four hated the confusion in his voice. “But… you were also small...?”

Four sighed, letting himself fall back, only to curse as his head unexpectedly connected with the rough bark of a tree. His vision went black momentarily, and he blinked until the blurred scene came back into view. Sky’s hand was already on his shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Yeah," he groaned. “Okay. So we were split, we were Minish. I’m awake now, I’m whole, and I’m not Minish.” He frowned. “Sky, I am utterly and completely confused. But I really don’t want to think through it all right now.”

Sky’s hand left his shoulder and his frown deepened slightly. He kept imagining the other’s expression, unable to actually process it. It was driving him mad.

“Do you want me to get Hyrule for you?" Four nodded, watching Sky leave him and begin to blend in with the blurred greens and browns of the area around them.

He sighed, closing his eyes and carefully shifting so that he could lie down without hitting anything. He heard footprints approaching, being made very clearly to make sure he heard them.

“Hyrule. What did Red say and do?”

There was a quiet shuffle as Hyrule sat next to him, settling in. “He had me check over you all." He started, "He wanted you guys to grow back to your regular size, but he was the only one awake.” Four furrowed his brows as he tried to remember… and after a few moments, he could recall a faint memory of talking to a fairy that looked like Hyrule. “Eventually he asked me to try and heal you guys as Four, as opposed to your… previous state? States?”

“Did you have wings?” Hyrule stayed silent for a moment, before clearing his throat.

“Did you want to know what was wrong with the four of you or…?”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry.”

His voice got a bit quieter as he continued. “The purple one--er, Vio, I think--he had some sort of venom in his system. It didn’t seem nice, but you’re awake and alive, so the potions must have covered that. Some broken bones and a sprained arm, but Time went searching for a fairy fountain and came back with what I can only assume was an entire family of them.” Four chuckled, the image of Time absolutely hidden in a cloud of fairies popping into his head. “There was also Blue--he had a giant bump on his head. Must have hit it more than once.”

The image of Blue stuck to a small board flashed through Four’s mind and he winced.  _ No, if there was only a bump on his head, that must have been fake… _

The back of Hyrule’s hand met Four’s forehead and he jumped, before settling back down. “You don’t seem to have a fever anymore. Are you in any pain?”

Four shook his head. “I’m just sore is all.” He paused for a moment, considering the scratchy feel and sound of his voice. “And my mouth is dry, vision’s blurry--overall I feel like crap.”

He heard Hyrule sigh. “I’ll get you some water and food--Wild tried out a new soup recipe, and it’s really good!” Four smiled at the lighter tone seeping into Hyrule’s voice, grateful for the levity. “And… Keep me updated on your eyesight, okay?”

Four nodded, listening to Hyrule’s footsteps fade. He faintly heard murmuring making its way towards him, but he could hardly care-- _ he just wanted to sleep… _

"Hey, Four! Hyrule said to keep you awake until you ate something, open your eyes!"

Four groaned at the chipper voice, turning away and onto his side. "Quieter Wind, please."

There was a small sound of concern from the younger boy, and he sat next to Four, his back barely touching Four's. He was silent for a few moments, but Four could hear the faint tapping of his fingers against his leg.

"...Four?" His voice was significantly quieter now. "Are you okay?"

Four huffed out a laugh--the hesitation in Wind's voice was almost tangible, as if he might have been offended by the question. He was honestly grateful for the concern.

"Yeah. You don't need to worry." He slowly pushed himself up, moving to sit with his back against Wind's. He knew full well that he was leaning much more on Wind than the opposite, but the kid was bigger than him anyhow. "How are  _ you _ doing?"

"I'm fine!" came the quick response. A few beats went by in silence. "I was… maybe a little scared. About you. But you're here! And you're… Not four tiny people, so that's comforting."

"Right. _Why_ am I my normal size? Did I wake up at some point and do that?"  _ There was not a single memory that popped up at that suggestion, but it was entirely possible… _

“Oh, Twi said he had seen you small like that before. He had me go searching for picori, and Wolfie found me while I was looking--he found them before me.” He laughed after a moment. “But he couldn’t pick them up. I think they might have been a bit scared, but I carried them carefully like you said to.” Four nodded, reaching behind him to pat Wind's arm in affirmation.

"And they cast the spell." Four sighed, bringing his hand back to rest on his face. "And everyone saw me in minish form?"

Wind tapped Four's arm and slowly moved around him until they were face to face. Four looked between his fingers at Wind's blurred features, trying to show he was attentive as the other asked, "Is that so bad?"

He shrugged, glad he couldn't really look Wind in the eyes. "Not really. I just--I prefer to keep it to myself." The blur moved in a way that Four could only assume was a nod before Hyrule cleared his throat, announcing his presence to the boys' faint surprise.

"I'll put the water on your left, soup on your right?" Four nodded, clumsily grabbing the waterskin as soon as it was set down. He put a hand up before the others could insist on helping him, then proceeded to fumble with it until he found the tie. He carefully worked the knot until it came undone, and finally began drinking, smiling when he paused to breathe.

"I don't think water has ever been this delicious."

Wind huffed out a small laugh, while Hyrule's foot nudged Four's leg.  "Eat before you fill your stomach with water--"

"I know, don't worry." He reached for the bowl and brought it to his lips, sipping it and choosing to ignore the fact that it was  _ far _ too hot to eat quickly.

"Four--whoa, slow down; you're going to make yourself sick eating so quickly!" Four set the bowl down a moment after, grinning at him.

"Not the worst thing that would have happened in the last while. I haven't eaten in over a week, I need food! Besides, you just told me to eat--"

"We both know that’s not what I meant.” Four shrugged, but raised his hands in surrender nonetheless. He heard Wind stifle a laugh, and he sighed.

“Alright, soup is down. No trouble from me.” He heard Hyrule sigh and chuckled, taking a quiet moment to feel the sun on his face, and a light breeze that was passing through the clearing.

The clearing that he still couldn’t clearly see.

“Hyrule, everything’s still blurry.” He clenched his eyes shut, trying to summon some sort of reasoning for it and coming up with too many options to narrow it down. “Vio’s sight was blurry, but you said something was in his system?” 

Hyrule’s form gave a slight movement that Four couldn’t quite decipher. After a few moments of expectant silence Hyrule finally let out a sudden “Oh! Yeah. Yes, and it cleared up. I think.” Four nodded.

“So possibly that, but--”

“It’s most likely because of whatever happened to Blue’s head.” Four paused, tilting his head as he considered Hyrule’s words. “It might go away in a while but… well I mean, I’m not sure, but it should clear up a bit, at least? With a cucco egg like that on the back of his head it would at least affect his sight for a while--I don't... I don't really know how that works with you guys merging though...”

Groaning, Four picked his bowl back up, downing the rest of the soup in a matter of seconds. He placed the bowl to the side and laid back down on the ground, running a hand through his hair and grimacing at the slick feel of it-- _ he needed a bath. _

“Great. In that case, I’m going to try and sort through four different sets of memories.” He heard one set of footsteps leave after a few moments, and shut his eyes for only a moment, before reconsidering. “Wind?”

“...Should I leave?”

Four smiled, waving Wind to move closer. “No, could you just place a hand on my arm?” Immediately he felt a gentle grasp on his arm. “I was four people right? Now I’m one. So I’m going to sort through our memories and try to figure out what happened. It’s going to suck.” Wind’s grasp on him tightened slightly as he hummed his understanding of the explanation.

“Should I call someone else over?” Four reached over and gave Wind a gentle pat with his free arm.

“I may freak out a bit, but don’t. I’ll be fine, just stay here with me. Okay?”

“Alright.” Four heard the determination in Wind’s voice, and he almost laughed, knowing the boy’s cheeks were most definitely puffed out and his eyebrows scrunched.

But instead of laughing, he simply said, “Thank you.”

And he closed his eyes.

And it begun again.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little thing to finish things off ^^

Four squinted as he looked around, his eyebrows scrunching as he considered the blurriness edging his vision and the clarity in front of him. It had been a while since anything had looked so clear, and he couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at nothing in particular.

"How does it look?" He flinched at Wild's abrupt voice, the taller hero popping out of the blurriness and into his thankfully better vision with an excited smile on his face. Four returned the expression, just a hint of mischief altering it.

"Well, I can see your obnoxious face instead of a blur of colours, but whether that's an improvement or not is up to debate--" he chuckled, several other voices joining in as Wild shoved him to the side. He stumbled, blinking in surprise as he had more trouble righting himself than was probably necessary.

"Woah, are you okay?" He nodded, giving a thumbs-up in Wild's direction as he stared at the ground, taking a moment to let a wave of dizziness pass. He heard Legend give a small  _ 'hmph' _ at the question, and looked up at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Of course he's fine. Glasses do that to you, he just has to adjust." He watched Legend as he approached, the hero placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't do anything crazy for a while, you have to let your eyes get used to them."

Four nodded with a grateful smile, before he finally asked what he had been wondering this whole time. "How much did these cost? I've always found glasses to be a bit pricey…" he glanced around as he spoke, taking in the faces of his friends scattered around their campsite for the first time in what felt like forever.

Legend shrugged, averting his eyes for just a second before refocusing on Four.  _ Nice give, softy.  _ "It was practically nothing." He paused, seemingly debating whether or not to continue before deciding to. "I did get them enchanted though--they should last you a long time. Take care of them."

Four shook his head, giving the other a soft shove. "Enchanted. Gods Legend, you pushover." Wild laughed as Legend sputtered, indeed living up to the accusation as he pushed Four, easily sending him to the ground with his current lack of balance.

He caught himself gently enough however, grinning up at Legend bemusedly. "Thanks. I can actually see now, this will make travelling a lot less of a hassle." Legend waved him off and started making his way away from him, seemingly too done with him (or more likely, embarrassed) to accept his gratitude.

Wild looked him over as Legend left, a finger tapping his chin as he hummed pensively. Four just waited, assuming the cook was doing something entirely unnecessary and just adding a dramatic pause to make his point.

"Yup." His tone was surprisingly serious, but the gleam in his eyes gave the act away. "You look good in glasses, Four!"

_ Of course. _

"Thanks Wild." He pushed himself up from the ground, patting the other's shoulder as he began to walk back to where everyone was laying the bedrolls. "I can't wait to witness all the ridiculous stunts you're going to be pulling."

Wild gave him another smile, joining him in his walk. "Me neither."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A better title to this story: The Tale of How Four got Glasses
> 
> That's it my friends--thanks for coming on this strange journey with me! I am sorry for hurting y'all's hearts, I honestly do't know why I wrote this--
> 
> Nonetheless, thank you for reading! Go read something fluffy now, you angst-loving beans <3

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry, but also not at all sorry
> 
> Please, please, please be safe while reading!!! There is some uncomfortable stuff in here--mostly implied, but still there. It's not very explicitly graphic, but still: if you start getting nervous or uncomfortable to an extreme degree, I beg of you to take care of yourself and stop reading <3  
> Know your limits friends, even if you think you should be able to handle it, respect your mind and emotions when they say, "Oi, maybe not fam"
> 
> Love y'all and thanks for reading!! <3


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